Opinion sought on campus gun issue

March 30, 2008

MITCHELL (AP) - Two state representatives have informally asked Attorney General Larry Long to issue an opinion on the Board of Regents' ban on firearms on the six public university campuses. State Rep. Tom Brunner, R-Nisland, thinks Long will respond and that the matter could be resolved this summer. Brunner said that according to a 2006 law, no state agencies can make rules concerning the right to carry guns. He says the issue is whether the Board of Regents can ban guns on its campuses. Brunner and Rep. Michael Buckingham, R-Rapid City, asked Long for an opinion. ''If this issue turns out the way I think it would, (further legislation) would be unnecessary,'' Brunner said. ''We are waiting for the attorney general's interpretation or opinion of the whole issue.'' The issue erupted during the 2008 Legislature. The House passed a bill that would have allowed firearms to be carried on state-run campuses, but the measure died in a state Senate committee. Brunner said if people own a legal weapon and have the necessary permits, they should be able to carry the weapon on public college campuses. State Sen. Brock Greenfield, R-Clark, said it's a ''terribly important'' issue. ''I think it's important that we maintain and keep in place a person's right to bear arms for hunting purposes, for self preservation, protection and so on.'' Shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University have been in gun-free zones, he said. During legislative debate, opponents said it is reasonable to prohibit firearms on campus, noting that guns are not allowed in the state Capitol, in bars, courthouses and other places. Lawmakers were told that only one other state, Utah, authorizes weapons on college campuses.